U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,424 to Ehret, et al., discloses a conventional water-distribution valve assembly. The valve assembly includes a housing defining a chamber in which a centrally-located vertical spindle extends. Fixed to the spindle for rotation in the chamber is an impeller. In use, pressurized water passing through an inlet of the housing rotates blades of the impeller, which in turn rotate the spindle and two gear assemblies. See Ehret, col. 2,1. 48 to col. 3,1. 7; col. 4,11. 42-50. As noted in the Ehret patent, rotation of the gear assemblies . . . imports a rotational movement to [a] platform and, therefore, [a] valve disc at a lower speed than that of the impeller. As a result, the valve disc rotates relatively slowly but with a relatively high torque in a counterclockwise direction . . . , whereby [a] slot successively exposes . . . outlets to permit fluid to pass therethrough, while sealing the remaining portion of the outlets.
See id., col. 4,11. 53-61 (numerals omitted).
Illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 8,714,182 to Malinasky, Jr. is another valve assembly for an in-floor pool cleaning system. It too includes a housing, an inlet port, and a plurality of outlet ports. See Malinasky, Jr., col. 3,11. 55-56. As with the assembly of the Ehret patent, that of the Malinasky, Jr. patent operates by passing pressurized water through the inlet port so as to rotate blades of an impeller and ultimately rotate a plate. See id., col. 5, 11. 5-12. Rotation of the plate changes its position relative to the outlet ports, with an aperture of the plate allowing the water to exit through one of the outlet ports. See id., col. 7, 11. 5-11.
For water at constant pressurization, valve assemblies of both the Ehret and Malinasky, Jr. patents are designed to produce continuous, uniform rotation of the disc or plate. Consequently, these assemblies distribute water to any particular outlet port for only relatively short periods of time and transfer between outlet ports relatively slowly. Beneficial, therefore, would be a valve assembly which allows distribution of water to a particular outlet port for a longer period of time and transfers between outlet ports more quickly.